1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer and, more particularly, to an improvement which can suitably be employed in thermal transfer printers making use of linear wide film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 30 shows a typical conventional color thermal printer. This printer has a paper tray 231 on an upper portion of a casing 230 which constitutes the main part of the printer. The casing 230 accommodates a thermal head 232, a platen 233 and a plurality of film guide rollers. A film 236 is supplied from and taken-up by a film supply roller 234 and a film take-up roller 235 which also are disposed in the casing 230 via the film guide rollers past a gap between the platen 233 and the thermal head 232. This known thermal printer suffers from a disadvantage in that an upper cover portion of the casing 230 has to be swung about a hinge 238 in order to make the interior of the casing accessible for the purpose of, for example, renewal of the film or maintenance of the internal parts. In addition, mounting and demounting of the wide film in the stretched state causes a risk for the film to be damaged.